


Roses are Red

by danceswithhamsters01



Series: Reddit Prompts [38]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Birthday Presents, Childhood Sweethearts, Crushes, F/M, Fluff, Gift Giving, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-07
Updated: 2019-02-07
Packaged: 2019-10-23 18:04:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17688254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceswithhamsters01/pseuds/danceswithhamsters01
Summary: Based on a prompt from r/dragonageIris Cousland and Roland "Rory" Gilmore survived the attack on Highever and reunited in Lothering, with him pledging to help the new Warden Cousland with her quest to stop the Blight. That being said, Wardens still have birthdays. He wants to give her a little something special to mark the occasion.





	Roses are Red

**Prompt 4:** A tent, flickering lights, conversation, a flush of the skin, a sweet smile, a scent of a rose. 

 

The scent of roses greets him as he pushes open the shop’s door and lets himself in. The shopkeeper pauses the conversation she was having with her worker mid-sentence.

 

“Can I help you, messere?” she asks in an overly friendly voice.

 

The young man, he may be muscular and tall and covered in plate armor, but he is unmistakably still youthful, stammers as the skin of his face flushes with shyness. Eventually, he fights enough with his tongue to get the words out. “I-I’m looking for a-a gift.”

 

The shopkeeper smiles sweetly. “What sort of gift, and for who?”

 

His cheeks are now redder than his fiery hair. “A friend. Er, a lady. That is… a lady who is a friend. But I’m sort of hoping to be more...”

 

The worker quickly turns her back and pretends to be intently dusting bottles of fragrance, hiding her silent giggling. The shopkeeper pretends to not notice her employee’s antics and meet’s the young man’s green eyes.

 

“Well, then. Do you know what sort of things she likes? That would make picking the gift much easier.”

 

Rory bites his lip. Iris --no, Lady Cousland. But wait, she’d firmly told him she was “Just Iris now” back in Lothering-- likes many things. Swords, shields, well-made bows and arrows to hunt with, besting opponents during sparring matches. Practical things, things a Grey Warden would find useful in daily life. But there was more to life than the practical. He wants to give her a little something to help her remember that.

 

A memory comes to him. Their first kiss, he was all of sixteen at the time, she was a bit younger. She sneaked out of her chambers, clambering down a lattice that went by her window and found him standing guard in the courtyard. It was something of a miracle that she hadn’t been scraped or stabbed to bits by the thorny roses that grew on that lattice. She and the Teyrna adored those flowers, being the exact shade of red both mother and daughter fancied.

 

“She.. she likes roses. Red ones,” he manages to say.

 

“I think I have something the lady shall enjoy,” the shopkeeper smiles.

 

Later that evening, while the others are busy with winding down for the day after making camp, he carefully cradles the delicate package against his chest. The flickering light of the fire is making him redder than usual. Only a few hours left in it, but it was still Iris’ birthday. He was rather taken aback that no one else had thought to offer her good wishes. Or… perhaps she hadn’t told anyone when it was? Perhaps it would be best to offer her his little gift when they were alone?

 

He waits until she emerges from her tent. She always walks the perimeter of camp before she can sleep. It isn’t paranoia when there really are monsters out to get you. And sometimes, those monsters were other people. He quietly hastens to catch up with her, calling to her once they’re out of ear-shot of the rest of the camp, save for her mabari, Boris, who sits next to her, watching him with those beady black eyes.

 

“Mi… Iris. I have something for you!” he smiles.

 

She arches a red brow, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips as she sees who it is.

 

“Happy Birthday,” Rory whispers as he presses the small package into her hands.

 

She blinks in surprise after gently peeling back the paper. “Perfume? You got me perfume? Are you trying to say that I smell bad?”

 

He goes pale. “Oh dear Maker, no! I mean, we are on the road and we don’t get as much time to...” He sighs and stops himself. “Just.. just give it a sniff.”

 

She laughs, green eyes twinkling with mirth that she made him fluster. Gently uncapping the tiny bottle, she takes a moment to smell it.

 

“Roses...”

 

He smiles. “It made me think of that one night when we...”

 

He doesn’t get to finish before she wraps him in a hug so tight that it makes him gasp for air.


End file.
